For Immediate Release July 29, 1999
Media contact: Helen Worth (JHU/APL), (240) 228-5113
Asteroids Named for Johns Hopkins APL Researchers
Four researchers from The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., were honored by the International Astronomical Union last night by having asteroids named for them in recognition of their work in the field of space science. The announcement was made at the banquet dinner of the International Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors conference at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. In total, 60 asteroids were named for researchers or institutions from around the world.
APL honorees include Dr. Stamatios M. (Tom) Krimigis, head of the Laboratory's Space Department, and Drs. Andrew F. Cheng, Robert E. Gold, and Scott L. Murchie, all of the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) program, the first of NASA's Discovery missions, which is sending a spacecraft to rendezvous with 433 Eros on Feb. 14, 2000, to conduct the first in-depth study of an asteroid..
Asteroid 8323, which was discovered in 1979 by Dr. E. Bowell at the Anderson Mesa Station of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., will now carry the name 8323 Krimigis in honor of Krimigis, a specialist in solar, interplanetary, and magnetospheric physics. Krimigis has been principal investigator or coinvestigator on several space experiments, including the Low Energy Charged Particle experiments on Voyagers 1 and 2 and the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers. He spearheaded the establishment of NASA's Discovery Program. Krimigis is a resident of Silver Spring, Md. He joined the Applied Physics Laboratory in 1968.
At the Lowell Observatory in 1982, Bowell also discovered asteroid 8257, which has now been named 8257 Andycheng to honor Andrew Cheng. A planetary scientist who serves as project scientist on the NEAR mission, Cheng has made significant contributions to a wide variety of solar system topics, including the study of magnetospheres and investigations of minor-planet surfaces and geodesy using lidar (laser-radar) techniques. He is a resident of Potomac, Md., and has been a member of APL's Space Department since 1983.
Asteroid 4955, which was discovered in 1990 by Dr. H.E. Holt at Palomar Observatory in Pasadena, Calif., will now be known as 4955 Gold, in honor of Robert Gold, who has made many contributions to space science through numerous spacecraft missions, including Ulysses, Geotail, Delta Star, and ACE. Gold is currently the payload manager for the NEAR mission and played a key role in ensuring that the six science instruments on NEAR were delivered and integrated on time and under cost. Gold, a resident of Columbia, Md., joined the APL Space Department in 1975.
Another 1990 discovery by Holt at Palomar Observatory was asteroid 4642, which is now named 4642 Murchie to honor Scott Murchie for his work in planetary problems ranging from icy satellites, Martian rocks and moons, to the age dating of terrestrial rocks. Murchie is currently instrument scientist for the NEAR multispectral imager. He is a resident of Mt. Airy, Md., and has been a member of APL's Space Department since 1994.
Asteroids have long been a fascination for the public as well as the scientific community. They are small bodies without atmospheres that orbit the sun but are too small to be classified as planets. Dubbed "minor planets," tens of thousands of asteroids are known to congregate in the main asteroid belt: a vast, doughnut-shaped ring located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter from approximately 186 to 370 million miles from the sun.
Asteroids are thought to be primordial material that was prevented by Jupiter's strong gravity from accreting into a planet-sized body when the solar system was born 4.6 billion years ago. The estimated total mass of all asteroids would make a body about 930 miles in diameter -- less than half the size of the moon.
The International Astronomical Union, which announced the latest list of asteroid names, is the sole internationally recognized authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and surface features on such bodies.
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The Applied Physics Laboratory is a not-for-profit laboratory and independent division of The Johns Hopkins University. APL conducts research and development primarily for national security and for nondefense projects of national and global significance. APL is located midway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., in Laurel, Md.
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